Residential units (apartment, condominium, townhouse, etc.) in high-rise buildings typically command higher rent or purchase price premiums for units with better ‘views’. In general, the higher the floor number in such a building, the higher the premium for units on that floor due to a more desirable view. Furthermore, units that face in less desirable directions or have obstructed views are typically rented/priced lower for obvious reasons. This follows along the lines of the real estate mantra: location, location, location.
The explosive growth in display technology and IoT (Internet of Things) connectivity can now bring breathtaking scenic views that are currently typically affordable only by a select few to the masses. A world of realistic alternate outside scenic views can be accomplished using high definition (HD) or ultra-high definition (UHD) technologies and streaming feeds from a plurality of remotely located camera(s).
It is envisioned by the inventors that virtual scenic views could be incorporated as part of a new architectural design or retrofitted as part of an interior design remodeling effort.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,798,407 (Benman) describes a system and method for providing a functional virtual environment with real time extracted and transplanted images. The system provides a multi-dimensional computer-generated environment for receiving a plurality of extracted video images. The system is adapted to transplant the extracted video images into the environment to preserve the virtual metaphor thereof. The extracted images are transplanted onto an object in the environment as a texture. The extracted video images are streamed continuously into the environment such that a live real time interaction is enabled. The environment is networked and the system is adapted to receive multiple simultaneous streams which are transplanted and exported to enable a virtual community.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,536,079 (Barron) describes a method for a time shift display of a video signal wherein upon a pause command a received video signal is recorded on a recording medium, and upon a resume command the recorded video signal is provided to a display device while the received video signal is continued to be recorded. Successive pause start indicators are stored upon further pause commands, and upon further successive resume commands recorded video signal starting from the latest or a successively previous pause start indicator is provided to a display device.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,306,391 (Viswambharan, et al.) describes a method for operating a data reproduction device that enables users to resume reproduction of audio and/or video content across different devices of the same or different type. The method includes receiving first index data from a different data reproduction device wherein the first index data indicates a first position in content in a first format and the content includes at least one of audio and video data, determining a second position in the content in a second format using the first index data, and enabling reproduction of the content in the second format beginning from the second position.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,306,402 (Ishihara) describes a display device that switches a broadcast channel which is being received by a tuner unit based on a broadcast channel switching instruction input from a user operating unit and transmits broadcast channel switching information to a recording and reproduction device. The recording and reproduction device sets a channel of a tuner unit to the same channel as the display device based on the broadcast channel switching information. A content is recorded and reproduced by a recording and reproduction unit based on a time shift viewing/listening instruction, a switch unit of the display device is switched from the tuner unit to the recording and reproduction device, and the reproduction output from the recording and reproduction device is displayed on a display unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,896,608 (Meisingset) describes a method for providing an animation from prerecorded still pictures where the relative positions of the pictures are known. The method is based on prerecorded still pictures and location data, associated with each still picture, that indicates the projection of the subsequent still picture into the current still picture. A current still picture is provided, then the location data associated with the still picture. Then, an animation is generated based on the current still picture and the location data, and the animation presented on a display. The invention is alleged to be able to provide an experience of driving a virtual car through the photographed roads, either by an auto pilot or manually. The user may change speed, drive, pan, shift lane, turn in crossings or take u-turns anywhere. Also, the invention is said to provide a means to experience real time, interactive video-like animation from widely separated still pictures, as an alternative to video-streaming over a communication line.